Hi!
I am 5'5 and weigh 74kgs.. thats around150pounds.
I was 120 pounds 2yrs back but due to some personal issues I lost myself on the way and now I wake up and realise I am 20kgs overweight and don't know how.

I don't eat junk.. I don't eat chips,soda,coke,red meat etc etc
In these 2 yrs I have never eaten too much.mostly I skipped few meals because I was too sad to eat.I don't eat much of salt or sugary stuff!
I love very blande,tasteless food...

I don't eat much rice.I eat chicken,eggs,bread etc.

How have I been putting on weight? am so confused

According to the doctors I should weigh 56kgs and that's around 120 pounds.
So am around 20kgs overweight that is 35-40pounds.

Do you exercise? And of the things you eat, how much do you eat? There's a big difference between just eating a chicken breast and having half of a chicken (not that I think you are, but I think you get where I'm going with it). If exercise and moderation aren't helping you, it's probably best to talk with your dr and see if there's something going on with your body that's preventing you from losing weight.

Hello My Friend

Being overweight is such a pain. But if you are in good health, try eating 5 or 6 small meals a day to kick start your metabolism. Like half a sandwich for a small meal or some fruit for another meal. But every 2.5 hours, eat something. Take your vitamins too. And if you are depressed, make a list of the things that are depressing you. Then make another list of the things in your life that are good. Then burn the list of things that are depressing you and tell yourself they are gone. Put the "good" list up on your fridge and look at it from time to time. Try and take a walk each day even for 15 minutes. Get some fresh air and some sunshine and take a multi vitamin every day. Not eating, or skipping meals will put your body into starvation mode and it will produce fat. It's the body's way of keeping you alive. So eat and eat small meals. Make sure you get your veggies each day and your fruit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that life will get better for you. Keep the faith - and most of all - love who you are. I mean really love who you are whether you are fat or thin. It sends positive messages to the brain and that's a healthy start.

Christine Rome

You are not eating well. It doesn't matter if you don't eat junk food. You can't skip meals or just not eat. This slows down your metabolism and you can't burn as many calories. You must eat properly and exercise. You have to eat at least 3 meals a day. Breakfast is very important because you burn the most calories and you need the energy to get through the day. Also exercising can help your depression. Try walking for a couple of weeks and then try jogging. Also try doing exercises at home like pilates.

First what doctor told you this, 120 is at the very min of the weight for someone 5' 5"

Depending on your frame size ( you did not say what that was) the proper weight is 120 to 155 lbs.

So you are OK if you are a larger frame person, if not you may be slightly over weight.

But the most important thing is a even, balanced diet, not any fad or fasting

Don't fast,, never fast. That's the worst decision many take.
M no diet specialist, but I'l tell you what I hear from fitness freaks.
Avoid chicken. Contains lot of fat.
Egg whites are k but not yellow (call it yolk? M not sure because m veggi)
Wheat bread is good, not white.
Have 3 small meals a day which contain raw vegetables and fruits than having 1 or 2 big meals with lot of fat.
Drink fluids. Water is the best. It helps you keep hydrated, helps avoid acidity and also hunger.
Don't eat anything hot. Let it cool.
Avoid oily food, contains a lot of fat.
Exercise. Best is swimming. Dancing helps too.

U mentioned your sad to eat food. Get over it somehow,, depression always gains weight.

Avoid chicken? Really? I thought chicken breasts were one of the healthier, leaner proteins?

Humans need fat... there are two types... the good fat,which naturally occurs in chicken,eggs,meat and dairy etc... theses foods are not bad for you as long as your starting with no real health issues...

Eat a well balanced diet,and exercise... start being more active,find an activity you enjoy.

Eat breakfast,it kick startrs your body in the morning... your body needs fuel.

Before starting your new life style,get a health check,to rule out any hormone imbalance, that is preventing you from maintaining a healthy weight.

My wife was in the same category once upon a time, and she had heard of a program called "Weightwatchers." She started this program and has lost weight in a gradual manner and eats very well. She does not skip any meals, that I feel is not a healthy idea. But, she also exercises daily, nothing rigorous, but she does walk about a mile each morning. Good luck- and do not get depressed, there are a lot of people in the same boat.

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Originally Posted by justcurious55

avoid chicken? really? i thought chicken breasts were one of the healthier, leaner proteins?

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As I said before, I am not a diet expert and I just mentioned what I heard from fitness freaks.

A friend of mine was over weight and she went on a health diet for a year. She avoided non-veg food, ate raw vegetables, lot of fruits, lot of liquid, non-oily, non-fat, non-spicy meals. She had 3 meals a day and all 3 meals contained fruits and RAW vegetables along with the usual rice, or anything that was served. The ratio between food and vegetables/fruits was 1:3. she took fruit juice without sugar in the evening instead of snacks. No drinks-wine, beer, vodka etc. her exercise included swimming and aerobics on weekdays and dancing on weekends. Shez 5'6 and now weighs just 58kgs. Came down 20kgs in a year.

hello..You need to have a daily exercise..going to the gym...yoga...situps..jogging..do what you know you can do to make your body work...drink water and TEA it is good for the body and it will help you in your problem...eat more vegetables and fruits lessen your dairy intakes and eggs...or even better you can stop having dairy products..chocolate and sweets this is only for the mean time this will help you in fast weight reduction and this is also the chinese way of healthy living..hoping i helped you...take care

OH... Before I forgot... BE hAPPY!. SMILE... Interact with people... when your having your exercise outdoors you can meet others.. and it will help you socialize... being depress.. will not help you... FOCUS.. DISCIPLINE... and a.. POSITIVE THINKING is what you need to help you.. take care... and by the way that is what I'm doing right now I'm also having my own exercise

Low fat food is the way to go. Don't try to go no fat. Your body needs the fat to digest to keep your digestion and bowel movements regular. To help with your mood and also to help lose weight eat raw fruits and veggies that are colorful and crunchy as snacks. Eating snacks like this between meals helps boost your metabolism and again keep you regular. If you get a craving for chocolate or something sweet have a little. Key word little. The more you try to ignore that craving the worse it will get and you will end up eating everything else you shouldn't. Eating healthy is a life change not just a diet. You have to keep with it to see progress. Eating this way will help you feel better physically which will intern help you feel better emotionally. Good luck.

I would NOT go on an all veggie diet like that. It's going to be criminally low in protein and essential fats. You may lose weight, because it's going to be very low calorie, but it's not good for your health.

One of the nutrition myths is that vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters. They tend to be healthier than the general population, but that's because they are usually health conscious, don't smoke, take more exercise etc. When you compare vegetarians with similarly health conscious meat eaters, you find no difference, except that vegetarians have a slightly higher tendency to breast cancer and some mental disorders.

For someone who is trying to lose weight by reducing calories, it's important to get the most nutritional bang for your buck. That means eating foods which are dense in nutrients for the calories they contain. Things like oily fish, whole eggs, fresh meat, green veg, berries and nuts have a huge amount of nutrients for the calories.

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Originally Posted by Eileen G

I would NOT go on an all veggie diet like that. It's going to be criminally low in protein and essential fats. You may lose weight, because it's going to be very low calorie, but it's not good for your health.

One of the nutrition myths is that vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters. They tend to be healthier than the general population, but that's because they are usually health conscious, don't smoke, take more exercise etc. When you compare vegetarians with similarly health conscious meat eaters, you find no difference, except that vegetarians have a slightly higher tendancy to breast cancer and some mental disorders.

For someone who is trying to lose weight by reducing calories, it's important to get the most nutritional bang for your buck. That means eating foods which are dense in nutrients for the calories they contain. Things like oily fish, whole eggs, fresh meat, green veg, berries and nuts have a huge amount of nutrients for the calories.

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Who says veg food is low in protein?

PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)

Pick your choice...

There are so many vegetarians in this world who live a healthy life. Its not because they do not smoke and work out a lot. Its because they eat healthy.

Things like oily fish, whole eggs, fresh meat contain a lot of fat. Taken in small amount is fine but if that's your diet, get ready to gain more weight.

As for vegetarians getting breast cancer and mental disorder, kindly re-think about it. Like "vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters",, this too is a myth.

I am not asking anyone to be a veggi, I am just suggesting a healthy diet to lose weight. Also, I remember I mentioned, 1:3 ratio, food with RAW veggies/fruits. What you eat for food is up to you, meat, fish, egg, etc, but have more of raw vegetables and fruits until you feel you have lost enough weight.

Some might find it difficult to eat raw vegetables, herez the best way to make it tasty. Chop vegetables of your choice, just add a little salt, some grounded black pepper and lemon. Its simple, tasty and good for health.
Also, 1 spoon of honey mixed with 1 lemon and 1 glass of water, taken with empty stomach and before exercise helps a lot.

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Originally Posted by Silver Lining

Who says veg food is low in protein?


VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

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You've got to be kidding me.

Broccoli has 2.4g of protein per cup.
Cucumber has 2g
Lettuce has 0.7g
Watercress has 0.8g of protein per cup
Apples have 0.4g per medium apple
Bananas have 1.3g of protein
Pears have 0.3g per fruit.

Grains and nuts have a bit more, but your original post was advising to eat raw fruit and veg.

As for the rest, Google is your friend. Look it up for yourself, and you'll see that when proper controls are used, a vegetarian diet is no healthier than a non-veggie diet. I'm definitely not saying that you can't have an excellent vegetarian diet, but you won't do it eating nothing but raw fruit and vegetables.

I can't seriously believe you are advising someone not to eat oily fish because they are high in fat. There is a huge body of research showing the benefits of oily fish for cardiovascular health.

I'm pretty notorious on some other boards for insisting that people should eat vegetables for good health, but vegetables on their own is not enough.

A vegetarian diet is like any other diet, it needs to be balanced. It's entirely possible to have enough protein in your diet without adding meat. You gain have grains, nuts, you can include tofu and other soy products, a number of dairy products are high in protein. Some vegetarians (like me, when I was a vegetarian) wills till eat fish. That's an excellent source of protein. And the fats (at least a lot of them) in fish are the GOOD fats.

And while it's possible to have a healthy, balanced, raw food diet, it's a little on the extreme side for most people and difficult for many.

There's arguments both ways, some experts argue vegetarians are healthier. Other experts argue people that include meat in their diets are healthier. The one thing they all seem to be able to agree on is that having a balanced diet and eating a lot of small portions rather than a few large portions through out the day is the key to a healthy diet.

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Originally Posted by Eileen G

As for the rest, Google is your friend. .

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Google gave me those details,, I am always stuck to Google.

Let me repeat, I NEVER mentioned to be fully vegetarian. I said 1:3 ratio. Selective reading is not an option for arguments.

Your body needs all kinds of nutrients. Its found in both veg and non-veg food. Depending on how you are brought up, your body gets adjusted to that particular diet. Non-vegetarians are adjusted to non-veg food and hence the 1:3 ratio, so that you don't lose vital nutrients that is required.. as for raw vegetables and fruits, I hope you know that vegetables when boiled, lose half their nutrients. That's why, eat them raw.

Hi Ariana,

Unfortunately our bodies are made to store fat, even when we don't eat a lot. A lot of the time when we eat very little we actually store fat because we are not eating enough. Also, our metabolisms get slower.

If you really want to weigh less, you can do it without any exercise, believe me. It's all about eating properly.

You will want to eat to increase your metabolism, but you will also want to eat a certain number of calories and get those calories from the least fattening foods.

The fact that you like bland foods is great for losing weight. I'll explain why.

You will want to limit your calories so that you are not eating more than 1800 per day. You have a small frame, and I'm assuming you're not super athletic, bodybuilding or whatever, so this amount of calories will help you lose weight quickly.

Then, what you want to do is measure and weigh your food so that you know exactly how many calories you are taking in... and you want your meals to be no more than 350 calories per meal, and you will want to do these meals at least 5 to 6 times per day. This trick speeds up your metabolism.

You want to burn a lot of fat and calories right? Then you need to eat small meals and eat frequently.

But, don't eat just anything. Eat foods that you have figured out the calories for. I'd use a program like excel for example, and work out your calories with the foods you eat. Work it out so you are eating every 3 hours.

Here's a list of food ideas, that I know work. My fiancé has had great success with this.

Every meal, have fruits or vegetables and a grain and some protein.

Things like Oats and fruit for breakfast (measure your oats, eat at least 300 calories worth) do not add milk, sugar or honey. You can add cinnamon. Make it with water only!

Have some fruit (1 banana for example).


For lunch do something like steamed veggies and brown rice. Make sure to measure it. Add fish or chicken if you like. Remember eat only 350 calories.

Drink a lot of water.

For dinner have something you love, but make sure it's not going over 350 calories. Avoid sweets and carbs at dinner time.

For example a baked chicken breast (know your amount of calories!) don't add butter or things like that. Have it with steamed broccoli or carrots, also have some hot tea if you like.

Avoid things like breads unless they are whole grain. Avoid white rice, stick to whole grain or brown rice. If you want cereals go for bran and milk, non-fat if you must have it... or soy if you like it.

Snacks should be nutritious. Again snack very little or not at all... having 5-6 meals a day will seem like a lot at first but you will get used to it.

Make one meal like a home made fruit drink or protein shake or something, again know your calories.

Avoid sweets, they keep you from losing weight. When your insulin levels are high you cannot burn fat stored on your body. Did you know that?

Avoid all drinks except water. DO NOT DRINK FRUIT JUICES during a diet. They have a lot of sugar in them.

You will lose about 1-2 pounds per week doing this... if you follow it every day and don't cheat.

If you decide you are going to cheat, remember it will only add calories and not help you any.

I wish you the best of luck!

Oh, and P.S. You do not need to exercise to lose fat or weight as we usually put it, but exercising does make your heart stronger if it's aerobic.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Eileen G

You've got to be kidding me.

Broccoli has 2.4g of protein per cup.
Cucumber has 2g
Lettuce has 0.7g
Watercress has 0.8g of protein per cup
Apples have 0.4g per medium apple
Bananas have 1.3g of protein
Pears have 0.3g per fruit.

Grains and nuts have a bit more, but your original post was advising to eat raw fruit and veg.

As for the rest, Google is your friend. Look it up for yourself, and you'll see that when proper controls are used, a vegetarian diet is no healthier than a non-veggie diet. I'm definitely not saying that you can't have an excellent vegetarian diet, but you won't do it eating nothing but raw fruit and vegetables.

I can't seriously believe you are advising someone not to eat oily fish because they are high in fat. There is a huge body of research showing the benefits of oily fish for cardiovascular health.

I'm pretty notorious on some other boards for insisting that people should eat vegetables for good health, but vegetables on their own is not enough.

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Vegetarians DO get enough protein. According to your data, and the data that I quoted below, we easily get all of the protein we need even if we eat Vegan. Besides that, our bodies cannot digest protein the way it is as a "whole protein" in animal products, our body converts these "proteins" to AMINO ACIDS to use them... well all of those are already broken down as Amino Acids in Vegetables, nuts, fruits and grains. So, our body can get enough Amino Acids by eating Vegan if we want to. We will not be deficient in protein if we eat enough and the truth is, a Vegan can eat a lot of Veggies and fruits and grains and not worry about Cholesterol clogging their arteries. I'm a meat eater, but I am seriously considering going Vegetarian and allowing only "FISH" as my meat, no dairy, no eggs. Here's more info:

From: Protein Info - How Much Protein Do You Need

Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams, and a 250-pound person, 92 grams.